


Bad Timing

by RosexKnight



Series: Tumblr Wedding Prompts [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-07 19:53:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7727677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosexKnight/pseuds/RosexKnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anon prompted: Rumbelle this is probably a bad time, but marry me?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bad Timing

It was her fault. It was all her fault.

If she hadn’t fallen off of the ladder then his ankle would have been fine and when he fell he would have been fine. But no. She HAD to dust the top shelves. And he HAD to come in. And she HAD to fall. And he HAD to catch her instead of just letting her hit the floor. She was healthy. It wasn’t that far of a fall. She would have been fine. But no instead he had to be the hero. Save her. Had to–

“Belle.”

Her head shot up, and she swallowed the lump in her throat as Dr. Whale stepped into the waiting room. She’d been the one they called when the incident happened. Gold didn’t have any living relatives besides his son, and all Belle knew was that they weren’t on speaking terms. Someone had broken into his shop. Gotten him with pepper spray. Ignoring that whole other can of worms, Gold had stumbled and fallen when his bad ankle tried to catch all of his weight. They’d called her when he got to the hospital, the town collectively knowing that it was Belle who had the best chance of calming Gold down, but also that she’d kill them if no one told her about it.

“Is he okay?” Belle asked instantly.

“He’s fine.” Whale said, but the look in his eye did little to alleviate Belle’s worry. “His ankle is shattered. It’s an old wound that never healed properly. It’s not looking good. He’ll need surgery.”

“Or what?”

“Or he’ll never be able to walk on it again, or at the very least not for a very long time.”

Belle nodded, numbness creeping down her fingertips. Surgery. That word had come up in conversation before. He hated the thought of surgery.

“But the surgery will make him better?” She said, trying to think logically.

“It will give him his best chance of it. It’s going to be a long process. Lots of physical therapy. He may always need the cane but…”

She nodded. “Can I see him?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

Whale led her through the sterile halls to the room he was being kept in until the next step was decided. It was too white. Too unnatural. Like its own kind of prison. That was another thing they had in common on their long list. They both hated hospitals.

“Belle.” She heard Gold breathe before she rounded the curtain to see him.

He was layed back, ankle propped up. The joint was swollen and miscolored, and Gold looked so vulnerable with only the hospital gown. But he was looking at her. He was pale and in pain but he was breathing.

“I’m sorry.” She said instantly, clutching his outstreched hand. “If I hadn’t fallen off the ladder you–”

“Shhh…” He eased her, squeezing her hand gently as she tried to keep her composure. “No, sweetheart it wasn’t.”

His hand was shaking. He was scared. They both were.

Whale called the nurses hovering around his bed away, allowing them some privacy. Belle sat down carefully on the side of his bed, away from his ankle.

“Whale said you’ll need surgery.” She said. Gold looked away. “He said that’ll be your best bet. He’s skilled, though. It’ll be fine. A few nights here. Some months in physical therapy…I can sign your cast.”

He remained silent, and all at once Belle’s heart sank. Gold always had a quip or a sneer. It never failed. If he were this silent…

“Look in my jacket pocket.” He finally said, and Belle blinked at him. He lifted a hand to point. “My jacket pocket. It’s over that chair. The right one.”

Carefully, belle obeyed, not having the foggiest idea of what she was looking for. A pack of smokes? He probably needed some after all that had happened. However, her fingers brushed something firm and fuzzy. A gasp left her and she almost dropped the jacket in shock. Gold only chuckled as she pulled the velvet box from his pocket.

“Wha–?”

“I can’t take a knee.” He said by way of apology.

“Now.” Belle choked out, half awestruck and half infuriated at him for thinking of it after all that had happened to him that night. “You want to do this now.”

“I don’t want to give you time to change your mind in case I never walk again.”

“Gold…”

“Yes that would be your last name.” He said, almost fondly. “If you’ll have it.”

Tears welled over as Belle laughed at the absurdity of it. She came back to sit with him, unable to form coherent sentences as she nodded and let him slip the golden band over her left ring finger, a heart-cut sapphire sitting atop it.

“Belle Gold.” she said with a breathy laugh, leaning down to give him a kiss, hospital bed and broken ankle and physical therapy be damned. None of that mattered. They were getting married. “Yes I think that had a nice ring to it.”


End file.
